f.o.: the doc's flax sweater.

I've knit quite a few Flax Sweaters by Tin Can Knits through the years--most notably the scrappy ones I made for my nephews to use up bits of my stash last winter. I love the fit, the ease of the design, and the ability to knit mindlessly in public, whilst watching t.v., and on.

And so, I decided to knit doc his first sweater. Sure, I've made him countless pairs of socks and a few new hats every season. He's got a number of scarves, and I even knit him a gnome once. But never a sweater. I was worried about getting the fit right; his proportions are so much bigger than my own and he's quite tall with a broad chest.

But, Owool was having a massive moving sale and I snagged the requisite number of skeins for a sweater sized project to fit a big guy like doc. This was my first time knitting with this particular brand of yarn and it knits up like a dream.

In the end, I did have to make some minor adjustments. The body fit great but the sleeves were a bit long after blocking and bunched awkwardly on doc. So I ripped them back, removed about 4 inches, and reknit the ribbing at the cuff for a perfect fit. This, I realize, is an important part of the process of creating garments that actually feet great on and you know you will wear again and again. I have to constantly remind myself that most knitters have to rip something back--and that's a good thing, not a failure.

This Flax Sweater was knit up using O Wool O-Wash Worsted (an organic super wash merino wool) in the Brown Bear color way, which is slightly black, slightly forest green, slightly brown. I love it.

More importantly, the doc loves it and wore it out on Saturday in all its glory. It's given me the bug--I'd like to knit him another sweater this winter. Any suggestions for a great pattern? I'm thinking Grettir (but I still want to knit one for myself first), Atlas, or something without color work like Ranger. Patterns, please?!

You can read my notes here.